Your Unique Perspective Can Mean Great Stories

Hello Writers! As writers with disabilities, we often experience the world differently from the typical narratives in books and media. This unique perspective isn’t a limitation—it's an opportunity to bring fresh, authentic sensory details to our writing that can deepen our readers’ understanding and experience of our stories.

Reframing “Show, Don't Tell”

The common writing advice “show, don't tell” often focuses on visual descriptions, but compelling writing can engage all the senses.

·         Sound

·         Touch

·         Smell

·         Taste

·         Proprioception (body awareness)

·         Temperature

·         Pain

·         Balance

·         Pressure

Writing from Your Experience

For Writers with Visual Differences

If you experience the world primarily through non-visual senses, you can –

·         Focus on texture descriptions.

·         Capture the way sounds echo in spaces.

·         Describe temperature variations.

·         Include air movement and pressure changes.

·         Note smell patterns throughout the day

Example: Instead of “The library was old,” try “The library wrapped around me in layers—wool carpet underfoot, the leather-and-dust smell of aging books, the whisper of pages turning somewhere in the silence.”

For Writers with Sensory Processing Differences

Your heightened awareness of certain sensory inputs can create vivid, unique descriptions –

·         Capture subtle environmental changes others might miss.

·         Describe how sensations overlap or conflict.

·         Show how your characters filter and process their environment.

·         Include sensory details that others might filter out.

Example: Instead of “The restaurant was busy,” try “The clink of forks against plates created a silver melody above the rumble of conversation, while the kitchen fan's drone formed a steady baseline that vibrated through the wooden floor.”

Photo by David Knudsen on Unsplash

Creating Authentic Disabled Characters

When writing characters who share your disabilities or differences –

·         Show their adaptive strategies naturally.

·         Include assistive devices as matter-of-fact elements.

·         Demonstrate how they navigate their environment.

·         Share their sensory preferences and aversions.

When writing characters with different experiences –

·         Research thoroughly.

·         Consult sensitivity readers.

·         Focus on specific, individual experiences rather than generalizations.

Practical Exercise: Sensory Mapping

Try this exercise to develop your sensory writing –

·         Choose a familiar location.

·         List every non-visual sensation you notice.

·         Rank which sensations are most prominent.

·         Note how these sensations change over time.

·         Write a scene incorporating these details.

Break Writing Conventions

Don't be afraid to –

·         Challenge traditional descriptive hierarchies.

·         Create new metaphors based on your experience.

·         Develop your own sensory vocabulary.

·         Trust your unique perspective.

In Conclusion – As writers with disabilities or chronic illness, our unique way of experiencing the world is valuable. It allows us to create rich, nuanced descriptions that can help readers experience story in new ways. Don't try to conform to “standard” descriptive techniques. Instead, lean into your perspective and use it to strengthen your writing voice.

QOD – What is the sensory experience you find hardest to write?

Thanks for reading!

-Amos